The present invention relates to a disaster response and recovery system which incorporates a methodical approach to a variety of disaster operations. The system is designed so that individuals unfamiliar with the affected disaster areas can easily navigate these areas and readily record locations wherein specific assistance is required. The present invention relates to a cellular phone equipped with mobile software capacity, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, GPS functions, and Bluetooth®, which system is designed to work when the cell towers are damaged or destroyed.
Until recently, with the ready access and low cost of GPS devices, it was very difficult and sometimes impossible to perform adequate disaster operations in areas that have been totally devastated by natural disasters such as hurricanes or earthquakes. Extremely large hurricanes such as Katrina in Mississippi and Louisiana and Andrew in South Florida have resulted in total destruction and devastation in the areas they have hit. After these two hurricanes there were no homes, buildings, street signs or other landmarks left standing so that an individual could pinpoint their location or indicate to other individuals where assistance was required. The flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans left the city and surrounding areas in the same condition, with no points of reference. Conventional maps become useless in these situations because they rely on points of reference at specific locations on the ground.
The recent developments in GPS have resulted in GPS devices that are small enough to be hand held. Improved location software and access to Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) have enabled the determination of the position of an object to within one meter or three feet of its actual location. These GPS devices do not require any landmarks or reference points to determine the location of an object. Thus, once the object's longitude and latitude have been recorded in the device it is relative easy to return to the same location using these coordinates. The longitude and latitude of an object is known as its waypoint. Software has been developed which enables the generation of electronic maps from waypoints of known locations. These maps are the ones which are commonly used in the navigation systems found on many of today's automobiles. The location of the cursor representing the GPS unit on the navigation map is the result of real time, way point determination.
In addition to the growing popularity and demand for GPS navigational devices, portable two-way radios are once again enjoying widespread popularity. In 1996 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established the Family Radio Service (FRS) in order for families and other small groups to be able to communicate with one another over very small distances (usually less than two miles) at no charge and without the need for an FCC license. Another service is the General Mobile Radio Service (GMRS). This is a personal radio service available for the conduct of an individual's personal and family communications. It operates in the UHF frequency band. When combined with a repeater it can also be used for radio communications. Currently, there are a number of commercially available two-way radios which are designed for use with the FRS and the GMRS.
Recently the handheld GPS units have been combined with portable two-way radios which operate on the FRS and GMRS frequencies. These combination units enable small groups of individuals to be in the wilderness, amusement parks, sporting events, etc. while remaining in voice communication with each other.
Some of the problems associated with the currently available GPS/radio units include the operation of numerous controls and overly complex software designs, in addition to the radio controls, which must be operated to transmit location data between the units. In addition, most of the current units will only transmit their location data when the user of the units elects to do so. This can become a problem. For example, parents may want to monitor the location of their children in an amusement park, but can only do so if the children periodically transmit their location information back to their parents.
Another problem with these units is the lack of privacy. These units broadcast on the FRS which is an unlicensed, shared communication service and communications from different persons are normally transmitted simultaneously causing interference. This is true in areas where these units are popular such as amusement parks, sporting events and concerts. Many FRS and GMRS radios incorporate continuous tone coded squelch systems (CTCSS) to suppress the unwanted conversations. However, CTCSS does not prevent someone without CTCSS or someone who has turned their CTCSS off to overhear unwanted conversations. These unauthorized individuals can utilize the information they overhear to determine someone else's location.
Recently cellular telephones or cell phones, as they are commonly referred to, have been provided with GPS hardware and some GPS software to enable the user of the cellular phone to locate himself or herself. Also if the cellular phone is provided with the proper software, the cellular phone can be used for navigation. These GPS equipped cell phones have gained widespread popularity and some cell phones now incorporate BlueTooth® capability as well. Many of these cell phones operate on the CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), TDMA (time division multiple access), or GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) wireless network standard. Some cell phones also operate on the IDENT network, commonly used on the push to talk phones like those that Nextel/Sprint use. Some IDENT cell phones also have been designed to function without cellular towers in a limited range for voice transmission over line of site communications.
Some of the problems associated with the currently available GPS/radio units include the operation of numerous controls and overly complex software designs, in addition to the radio controls, which must be operated to transmit location data between the units. In addition, most of the current units will only transmit their location data when the user of the unit elects to do so. This can be a problem. For example, parents may want to monitor the location of their children in an amusement park, but can only do so if the children periodically transmit their location information back to their parents.